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scott715How recruiting works at the Y. All should read this:
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This morning, I spoke with Head Women's Track Coach Patrick Shane. I was very impressed. What he told me applied to recruits for every sport at BYU.
Background: A young women in my ward is a very gifted track and field athlete that put up eye popping numbers LY as a Freshman. She is a world class weight lifter and an honors student, etc. Last Sunday I asked her: What is your goal? She said: I want to compete in my field event as a BYU Cougar. So we talked about what she was doing to prepare. In a nutshell, she has competed in and done very well in regional meets. She got a letter of interest based on her performance from an incredible SEC program. I asked her: have you heard from BYU yet? She said: No. Haters on CB will say "Typical" - but keep reading.
Here is what I learned from Coach Shane.
1. LDS athletes all know that most people at BYU are LDS. But they never think that BYU has no simple way of knowing that THEY are LDS. This is especially true for athletes outside of Utah. How can BYU recruit an athlete they know nothing about? I think this is why Bronco always mentions that the best way to get recruited to BYU is to come to their football camp.
2. All sports at BYU have a recruiting tool on their respective website that helps kids get on the BYU recruiting radar. My son and I completed the form for track. There were several questions about his event times, contact information for the athlete, parents and a school counselor, and GPA etc. It was a very simple form. Coach Shane said completing that form was the single best way to get recruited.
3. In track, there are strict rules about coaches contacting athletes before the athlete reaches a certain age, etc (these rules differ from sport to sport). Coach Shane said he could not and would not officially contact her yet. However, he said that she and her parents could email or call him or any assistant coach and that the coaches could respond back. He also said that she could always come by for an "unofficial" campus visit when she was in town.
4. He was so appreciative that I had contacted him. He said, "I wish more BYU fans knew that they can let us know about talented LDS athletes. They all assume we must already know."
5. As an aside, i spoke to one of my sons friends yesterday at a track meet. She had been to BYU soccer camp and to a P12 soccer camp. She said "night and day difference". The girls at BYU helped her and coached her. The girls at the P12 school were completely disinterested and were just putting in their time.
SO - if you know a talented athlete, encourage them to go to their sports summer camp at BYU, to fill out the recruiting form online, and to contact the coach!
This morning, I spoke with Head Women's Track Coach Patrick Shane. I was very impressed. What he told me applied to recruits for every sport at BYU.
Background: A young women in my ward is a very gifted track and field athlete that put up eye popping numbers LY as a Freshman. She is a world class weight lifter and an honors student, etc. Last Sunday I asked her: What is your goal? She said: I want to compete in my field event as a BYU Cougar. So we talked about what she was doing to prepare. In a nutshell, she has competed in and done very well in regional meets. She got a letter of interest based on her performance from an incredible SEC program. I asked her: have you heard from BYU yet? She said: No. Haters on CB will say "Typical" - but keep reading.
Here is what I learned from Coach Shane.
1. LDS athletes all know that most people at BYU are LDS. But they never think that BYU has no simple way of knowing that THEY are LDS. This is especially true for athletes outside of Utah. How can BYU recruit an athlete they know nothing about? I think this is why Bronco always mentions that the best way to get recruited to BYU is to come to their football camp.
2. All sports at BYU have a recruiting tool on their respective website that helps kids get on the BYU recruiting radar. My son and I completed the form for track. There were several questions about his event times, contact information for the athlete, parents and a school counselor, and GPA etc. It was a very simple form. Coach Shane said completing that form was the single best way to get recruited.
3. In track, there are strict rules about coaches contacting athletes before the athlete reaches a certain age, etc (these rules differ from sport to sport). Coach Shane said he could not and would not officially contact her yet. However, he said that she and her parents could email or call him or any assistant coach and that the coaches could respond back. He also said that she could always come by for an "unofficial" campus visit when she was in town.
4. He was so appreciative that I had contacted him. He said, "I wish more BYU fans knew that they can let us know about talented LDS athletes. They all assume we must already know."
5. As an aside, i spoke to one of my sons friends yesterday at a track meet. She had been to BYU soccer camp and to a P12 soccer camp. She said "night and day difference". The girls at BYU helped her and coached her. The girls at the P12 school were completely disinterested and were just putting in their time.
SO - if you know a talented athlete, encourage them to go to their sports summer camp at BYU, to fill out the recruiting form online, and to contact the coach!